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Just as the spirits of Rion and her father Kirinmaru ascended into the Amatsumikaboshi and it rose up and disappeared, the Grim Butterfly of Despair starts to fade. Sesshomaru told Rin, Moroha, Towa and Setsuna that the Grim Butterfly had been defeated and is vanishing and that they must hurry to escape. Sesshomaru picked up Rin and all 4 of them jumped off the Grim Comet. Once they landed on the ground, Sesshomaru lowered Rin down. Inuyasha, Kagome, their friend's Miroku, Sango and Kohaku, and their extended family along with Shippo, Hatchi and Takechiyo all rushed over to them to see if they were alright.
Kagome with tears of happiness and relief gave Moroha a big hug. She was so glad that her daughter was ok and not hurt or worse. When her and Inuyasha saw the Grim Butterfly stop in midair from the cave they were in, she was worried that something bad was happening to her. She feared that she could have lost her only daughter forever. She prayed that her daughter would be okay as she said, "Moroha!" She had her mother's worry. As she was watching it brought her back to the time her, her husband, their friends, Sesshomaru, Jaken and Rin were all inside their enemy, Naraku and how hard it was to defeat him. They almost didn't make it out themselves. That's how hard Naraku was to defeat.
She knew she shouldn't worry about her daughter because her daughter was a part of her and Inuyasha, and they were very strong-willed people, and they survived. She thought to herself, "No, I shouldn't have doubts in our daughter. I have to have faith in her. Back when me, my husband and our friends battled for the Shikon Jewel and fighting Naraku, we believed in ourselves and never lost faith or hope. I think now's the time to believe in my daughter." As Kagome hugged her daughter tight with tears running down her face she said to her daughter, "Moroha! My baby, my love. I was so worried, Are you really, okay? You're not hurt?" Moroha said to her, "I'm okay mom, as if they can defeat me." Kagome asked her daughter again, "You're not hurt or anything? Are you sure you're alright?" Moroha replied, "Yeah, it's ok mom." "Thank goodness" Kagome said still hugging her daughter.
After Kagome was done hugging her daughter Inuyasha hugged his daughter tight and congratulated her, "Good job, Moroha you made me and your mother proud of you." Soon after everyone walked to another part of the forest. Rin hugged her twin daughters telling them she waited for this day to hug the both of them and that she's so proud of them. They also told her they have been waiting for the day to hug their mother. Sesshomaru and Jaken, watching Rin hug her daughters from a few feet away. Rin then turned around and her and her daughters were now facing Sesshomaru. Rin waved at Sesshomaru and she said to him, "Come over and join us, Lord Sesshomaru. Isn't it good that we can all be together!" he just gave a little smile at her as he said, "Hm." Jaken saw he was smiling and said to him as he cried, "Lord Sesshomaru, do I see a look of happiness?" Sesshomaru then stepped on his head.
Rin then said to her daughters, "Let's go!" and they all went running to Sesshomaru as the twins said, "OK!" Rin yelled out and said "Lord Sesshomaru!" As their daughters called out, "Father! Father!" Upon seeing his brother's reunion with his family Inuyasha said to Kagome and Moroha, "Let's see how my brother's doing with his family." The three of them walked together watching his brother's reunion with his family a few feet behind a tree. Allowing his brother and his family have some privacy. Inuyasha and Kagome were standing on either side of Moroha. Inuyasha had one of his arms on his daughter's back and Kagome had her other hand on Moroha's shoulder. Behind them a few feet away was their friend's and their friend's family who was also watching Sesshomaru's reunion and giving Inuyasha, Kagome and Moroha some personal space and privacy with their reunion as well.
Kagome then turned her head to look at her daughter and smiled at her, as Moroha looked straight ahead. Inuyasha then turned his head and his attention to his wife with a curious yet worried expression on his face. Moroha looked up at her mother meeting her eyes, and both of them closed their eyes and giggled happily. When he heard and saw his daughter close her eyes and giggle happily with her mother, he then knew that both mother and daughter were very happy to be back in each other's lives. Inuyasha then looked at his daughter, smiling at her full of pride, happiness and love for her. Finally, they were a family again, and this time neither him nor Kagome will ever let her go again. Then they reverted their attention a few miles away when they heard that Towa saw a rainbow and said, "Look everybody, a rainbow!" Both Inu families looked straight ahead at the rainbow. Then Towa, her twin sister and their mother Rin went back to talking with Sesshomaru, as Inuyasha, Kagome, and Moroha watched them. Inuyasha then looked at his wife and said, "Let's go home" then he looked at his daughter and said, "All of us" with a smile.
As Inuyasha, Kagome and Moroha were walking back home to their village, they were approaching the sacred tree. The three of them stopped in front of the tree, hand in hand. Kagome said to Moroha, "Moroha, this is the sacred tree." Moroha looked at her mom and said, "I know that mom, Kaede told me about it. I actually travelled back in time from our time to your time through it somehow. And I met the spirit of the Tree of Ages." Kagome yelled, "You did what?! How?!" "That's a whole other story mom, for another time." She replied.
Kagome continued her story to Moroha, "Anyway, as I was saying, this is the Tree of Ages. It's another important place for me and your father, besides the Bone Eater's Well. I don't know if Kaede told you or not, but this where I first met your father." She then faced Inuyasha, smiling as he started to blush. She continued, "This is where it all started for me and your father. When I first met your father, he was pinned to this very tree with a sealing arrow." Moroha then shouted, "You shot dad with a sealing arrow? Why?" Kagome reassured her daughter, "Not by me, I wasn't Master Archer at that time yet. It was done by your father's ex-girlfriend who was also a Priestess like me. And all the roots of this tree were bound to your father, holding him in place. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Your father back then, was a much different person then he is now. This is also where your father proposed to me and asked me to marry him."
Then the three of them walked a little more until they approached their house. She said to Moroha, "And this is our house, this is where you'll be staying with us from now on. And this…" as she pointed to the little garden, "Is my little garden and right next to it, is mine and your father's tree. He took me up there with him when my feet were all bandaged up and he wanted to talk to me in private about something that was bothering him." Kagome opened up the door and all three of them walked in. She said, "Let me give you a tour of our house. Don't mind the dirt and the dust. Your father and I have been away for 14 years with no one to clean it. I'll clean up the house shortly after I give you a tour." She then pointed to one part of the room, "This is the dining room/kitchen where I cook my food by the fire in a cooking pot, and where your father and I eat."
Then she walked Moroha to another part of the room and said, "This is your father's and my sleeping area, as well as yours now. You can sleep with us on our cot. I'm sure the pile of fur you were sleeping on when you were in Koga's care, and out on your own wasn't comfortable to sleep on." Kagome walked back to the kitchen/dining area with Moroha and told her, "In your honor, we're going to have a big feast to celebrate you coming back into our lives. I'm going to send your father out to go hunting and fishing to get all the meat and fish we need for the feast. Then I'll go to an herb and vegetable field and get all the vegetables and herbs that I need. Since being away for 14 years, everything that I had got overgrown or died in my garden. And everything I had inside either got rotten or stale. You can either stay here and wait for your father and I to come back, or you can either come with me or go with your father and help us. Once we get all we need, I'm going to prep the feast and start cooking it. I'll need to stop at the marketplace and get some sake and tea leaves to make some tea." So, then she went to clean the house and then she sent Inuyasha off to go hunting and fishing when she was done. Then her and Moroha went to the herb and vegetable fields. Later they all came back with their harvest and meat, Kagome started to prep the feast.
Her and Moroha picked an abundance of herbs, vegetables and grains for the feast they were going to have. Tonight was not only going to be a reunion, but a celebration that their daughter was back in their lives, and they were together again as a family. Kagome grabbed her knives and started cutting the potatoes, carrots and daikon for a special roast she finished it off with some herbs and spices and set it aside. Moroha looked at her mom and asked, "Do you need any help prepping the food mom?" Kagome looked at Moroha and smiled before saying, "I'm alright Moroha, your father should be home soon. Why don't you go and see everyone, I'm sure they must have missed you." Moroha gave a nod leaving the hut letting her mother finish cooking. Kagome then cut up the Komatsuna so she can simmer it with herbs and spices for later along with the cabbage and snow peas. She wanted to make Satsumaimo for her daughter. Her mother used to make it for her when she was young. It's sweet potato, peeled and then grilled.
Just on the other side, Inuyasha was hunting for everything that Kagome needed to make this feast perfect. He hunted for hare, wild boar, deer and pheasant. He fished for salmon, and squid and did not disappoint. The overflowing number of meats and fish he caught and hunted; Kagome would be happy. Once Inuyasha gathered everything he knew he needed he raced back home. He got back home moments later and the aroma of the food that was already cooking was enough to make you drool.
"Kagome, Moroha I'm back from hunting." Inuyasha yelled out only for his wife to peer around the corner and tell him that she sent their daughter out to see her friends and family. He set all the food on the counter, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek. He took all the meats and fishes out of the basket and cleaned them all off before portioning out the sizes for everything. Kagome took the portions of salmon, seasoned them and simmered them on a rack in a baking pan big enough to cook them all. The wild boar was going to be roasted in the oven to medium rare. It was going to be served over a bed of rice, chopped scallion, shredded carrots and peppers. The deer would also be slow roasted to perfection. 'Tonight's dinner has to be perfect, everything has to be perfect.' Kagome thought to herself as she prepared the pheasant and serow and roasted them in a couple other pans.
Japanese Squid stuffed with rice was next, she prepared the squid and then prepared the mixture. She took the sweet rice that was made with soy sauce, sugar and water and stuffed the squids before closing them shut. In a pot she put water, soy sauce, mirin and sliced ginger before placing the stuffed squid inside the liquid to cook. Boiled crab with butter, so buttery it melts in your mouth. Roasted boar so juicy it cuts like butter, and Namasu no Bu that were lightly pickled beforehand. Kagome took another pot and put rice vinegar, sugar small pieces of kombu, daikon, 2 pieces of gobo and salt and turned the heat to medium. To add even more flavor she added ginger, sage, parsley and fennel. This was going to be the best miso, especially because she was going to add some egg and seaweed into it at the end.
The last things that Kagome needed to cook and prepare were the desserts. She started on the Purin because it took time to put together and cook. She grabbed her molds from the cupboard and greased them with butter and then divided her water into 3 portions. Before she could grab the rest of the ingredients Inuyasha had already retrieved them. Kagome looked at him smiled and gave him a kiss. "Thank you, my sweet demon." There was a glimmer in her eye as she spoke those words. Inuyasha helped to heat up 2 tablespoons of water and the sugar until the sauce was browned and added a little bit more water to thin out the sauce as it became caramel. Inuyasha then handed the sauce to Kagome, and she poured it into the molds. Inuyasha then rinsed out the pot and added milk, heating it to about 140°. He dissolved the sugar in the milk and added vanilla extract. Once it was done, he removed it from the heat as he watched his beautiful wife beating the eggs in a bowl. Cooking with her always made him smile, it was something he enjoyed doing with her. Then Kagome said, "You can slowly add the milk to the egg mixture." She strained the mixture and then scooped the bubbles from the surface of the strained mixture. She poured the mixture into the molds and placed and set them aside. She would cook them in a steamer later and steam the Purin on low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Kagome also wanted to make Mitarashi Kushi Dango, they're the best rice dumplings. She grabbed the joshinko rice flour and the shiratamako flour for easier molding. She added sugar and hot water and combined it until the mixture made a rough dough. Inuyasha helped her by kneading the dough until it was smooth and then divided them into 16 equal pieces and turned them into balls. He set them aside so they could be cooked with the Purin for dessert. They would make the glaze later when the desserts are steaming. Last dessert that needed to be prepped was the mochi, simple but sweet. As Kagome was preparing the 3 layers for the Hishi Mochi, making a green, pink and white layer she heard Moroha in the distance. Kagome made sure all the mixtures were made before pouring each layer in a baking dish so it could set. Once they were she took them out of the pan and stacked them on top of one another. Starting with the green layer, then white and finally pink. She dusted it with potato starch and then set it aside for later.
Dinner was just about done when Moroha returned home from saying hello to Sango and Miroku and their kids as well as Kaede. Moroha sniffed the air and said, "Wow, mom this whole place smells amazing." Kagome giggled and said, "This is a special occasion, it must be celebrated right." The table was set with fancy dishes, silverware, napkins candles and a vase filled with cherry blossoms. Inuyasha helped Kagome bring the food to the table, everything smelled and looked delicious. There were so many different roast and sides it was incredible. 'Wow this food looks so much better than Uncle Koga's. All I ate was either boar or rice.' Moroha thought to herself, she couldn't wait to dig in. She smiled as she sat down, moments later her parents sat down too. Kagome and Inuyasha had tears in their eyes, just being with their daughter again was the best thing. "Moroha, though your father and I didn't get to raise you we got to see you grow up to be this beautiful and caring woman. We couldn't be prouder of the woman you have become." Kagome said through tears of joy. Inuyasha shed a few tears, though he's not much for being emotional. He looked at Moroha and said, "Your mother and I have waited for this day for 14 years. To finally have you back in our lives after that fateful day is all we could ask for. This feast is in honor of you coming home to us." Moroha blushed in excitement, she couldn't be happier to be home.
They all ate dinner and talked, Moroha even mentioned though it was a slip of the tongue that she was in dept to a corpse dealer. Her mother looked at her and said, "You're in debt!! How could you possibly be in debt to anyone?!" Moroha then explained to her parents how she got into the whole thing, though her parents weren't pleased. But they could talk about that later, as Kagome got up, she said, "We will discuss all of this tomorrow and how we can fix it. In the meantime, I'm going to get dessert ready. It'll be about 20 to 30 minutes before dessert is ready." She looked at Inuyasha and said, "Will you help me get dessert prepped please.?" Inuyasha helped Kagome put the Purin and the Dango in the steamer while she made the sauce to drizzle over the Dango. She took water, sugar and soy sauce and brought it to a boil over a medium heat. Inuyasha poured the katakuriko starch (corn starch) and stirred it and let it boil again. Once the Dango had finished steaming she removed them, and pan fried them to add small grill marks. The Mitarashi sauce was now done, so she poured it over the dango and placed it on the table. Inuyasha grabbed the Purin and the Hishi Mochi and placed them in the center of the table. They all sat down for one final dish, and that was dessert.
"Mom, Dad I want to thank you for making this feast for me. I couldn't have asked for more delicious food. It's much better than what I was eating before." Inuyasha and Kagome smiled, to know their daughter loved the food was all they could have hoped for. They finished their dessert and just before Moroha took the last bite Kagome said, "Your father and I have a present for you. We know you'll love it." She disappeared into the other room and walked out with a present that was perfectly wrapped. "This was a gift that was made with lots of love. We know you will wear it with pride." Moroha smiled as her mother handed her the present. Her eyes widened even more when she saw what it was. It was a beautiful hand-woven kimono with her parents' colors. It was an all-red kimono with some black stitching, it had white and green flower like circles and a magenta bow with pale blue sparkles. Moroha was now even more excited to put it on, so she went to her parent's room to go change.
She walked out a few moments later and said, "Mom, Dad I love the kimono. It's perfect, especially with your colors. I will wear and cherish this kimono for as long as I live." She gave her parents a hug their grip became tighter. The night was almost over and there was still so much to do. They all walked to the edge of the water and looked up at the stars before they headed back in for the night. Moroha knew she was going to sleep soundly, especially with the protection of both her parents. Inuyasha and Kagome got ready for bed and Moroha joined, a good night's sleep was all they needed after a big meal. As Moroha climbed into the futon she couldn't believe how soft and comfortable it was. The pillow, blankets and the sheets felt so good and soft on her. It was so much more comfortable than sleeping on the uncomfortable floor of Koga's Wolf Demon Tribe cave, and so much more comfortable than sleeping on the floor of the Demon Corps shop. She was going to fall asleep much faster.
Kagome, Inuyasha and Moroha were sleeping soundly crickets chirping away, singing their songs and before long night faded into morning. The sounds of the morning woke them up as they got ready for the day. Kagome knew Moroha had to pay off a debt so she looked at her daughter and said, "I will not have a daughter of mine in debt. Inuyasha go help our daughter slay a demon!!" Inuyasha, not wanting to argue said he would gladly help their daughter slay a demon. "There's an ice demon not too far from us dad. If I bring back the ice sword my debt will be paid off." Moroha said smiling at her father.
Off they went to the edge of the cliffs to take down the ice demon. With the strength of father and daughter it wouldn't be difficult. The demon jumped out and tried to swipe, only to be slashed by Tetsuaiga and Kurikaramaru and before long they tired out the demon and defeated it leaving behind the ice sword Moroha needed to pay off her debt. "Thank you, dad, now I can finally pay off my debt to the corpse dealer." Inuyasha told his daughter that it was no problem at all helping her. "Spending time like this with you was even more than I could ask for." Inuyasha said seeing a tear of joy stream down her face. He hugged her tight before she said that she needed to get going.
"I promise when I come back, we'll all talk before I head out with my cousins to conquer more demons." Moroha said to her father before turning away and heading to the corpse dealer. Inuyasha headed back home to tell Kagome that the demon was taken down and Moroha would be back to spend time with them before she headed out with her cousins to defeat more demons. Kagome wished that her daughter could stay longer, but she knows in time she will return to them.
Moroha made it to the corpse dealer and paid off her debt in full. The corpse dealer was surprised she got the sword, that demon is hard to take down. Many have tried and failed in the process, he was shocked that someone so small took it down. Moroha looked at him, she knew what he was thinking as she said, "I didn't take the ice demon down myself; my dad helped me in case you were wondering." as she took her payment turned around and left running all the way back home.
Once back home Moroha sat down with her parents to catch up before she headed out. "Mom, dad I have missed you guys so much. I know I probably shouldn't be going on this journey, but I feel like I need to do this." Moroha said as her mother put her hand on her shoulder and said, "Moroha, your father and I both understand why you need to do this. We will support you in whatever you do. Just know we will be right here waiting for you when you come back." There was sadness and joy amongst the 3 of them as they sat and talked about their future together once Moroha retuned.
Neither Kagome nor Inuyasha wanted their daughter to leave, but they knew they had to. "Moroha, we are so proud of you. We know you won't be gone forever, but it'll feel that way. Tears started welling up in everyone's eyes as they hugged, a moment to never be forgotten. "Moroha, you make sure you stay safe and come back to us soon. We will miss you so much while you are away." Kagome said through her tears. Inuyasha told her that they would see her off on her journey.
Moments later Setsuna and Towa came by it was time for their daughter to head out and see the world more. Moroha gave her parents one last hug before saying, "Mom and Dad, I'll see you soon I promise. We will be together again soon." Inuyasha and Kagome gave their daughter a hug before walking her out of the hut. Inuyasha said, "We will be here for you as soon as you get back. You do what you need to do and hurry home to us." Inuyasha was trying to hold back tears as he said that. Moroha looked at both her parents and said, "I will be back as fast as I can, I love you both and I'll see you soon." Giving them both one last hug before getting on Takechiyo. Moroha looked down at her parents and waved goodbye, continuing until they were no longer in sight. This was the beginning of her journey, and she wanted to make her parents proud.